Cross-dressing sensation marches on despite controversies

In the new version of the dance drama, Li will work with Max Lee from Taiwan's GuoGuang Opera Company, who will be the director.

Lee's work covers various genres, including theater, Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera.

The updated version will also see Li perform about 30 original songs and dances using Peking Opera techniques, such as shuixiu, or "water sleeves".

The role of Wang is one of Li's favorites. He played Wang in his 2010 dance drama, Flower in Mirror, Moon in Water. In 2011, he played the role again in his dance drama, The Painting of Four Beauties. But it was not until 2013 that he decided to do a show about Wang, who he feels a strong connection with.

Li spent about a month traveling from Beijing to the site in Inner Mongolia autonomous region where Wang was buried, following in her footsteps to get inspiration for the role.

"She left her hometown and never returned. Somehow I share the same loneliness and homesickness as her," he says.

Li was born in a small, remote village in Northeast China's Jilin province, was introduced to music by his mother, an actress who practiced errenzhuan, a form of folk song and dance duets from Northeast China.

Li dropped out of school in 1996 because his family was too poor to afford the fees. And to make a living, he left his hometown and worked as a waiter and singer at bars in nearby cities.

Then, one night, thanks to his wide vocal range, he was able to substitute for a female singer who was absent for a show. He sang both the male and the female parts, which let him discover his talent for cross-dressing performance.

Later, Li started incorporating the art of nandan from Peking Opera into his performances. Nandan, or men playing female roles, was a practice forged at a time when women were forbidden from public performances.

One of the best known nandan artists was Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961).

In 2006, Li became a household name after winning the third place in CCTV's popular talent show Star Boulevard.

In 2009, he held his first solo concert at Sydney Opera House in Australia. In the same year, he joined the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater.

But despite his popularity, Li has also faced criticism.

Some questioned his professionalism in performing the ancient art form of nandan, and his family once doubted him as they could not understand why their son performed as a woman onstage.

Despite of the controversies, Li has kept on pushing boundaries by releasing albums and performing in stage productions.

"During the past two years, I have constantly traveled abroad and performed for different audiences. Both the foreign audiences and the overseas Chinese appreciate the traditional Chinese art. And it really gives me the confidence to dream bigger," he says.